Messages

286

General Discussion / Re: 2021 TCA Convention Review

« on: August 28, 2021, 09:17:46 PM »

everyone knows me, but no one will admit it.

Like my dad. Most people liked him, a few hated him, but EVERYONE knew him.

If you dig around here on the forum you'll see lots of early Lionel O gauge. Hewre's agood one to start with. We all added to our want lists with this thread:

https://www.train99.com/forum/index.php?topic=27.0

Welcome aboard.

287

How To and Technical Information / Re: polishing brass pieces.

« on: August 28, 2021, 11:09:48 AM »

If you're repainting use a tumbler with brass medium. For just a few small peices use Brasso and cotton balls or tissues.

If you're not repainting the trains, don't clean the brass with more than a dry paint brush or damp with water rag. The brass should have a patina.

It's common for new collectors to regret their efforts after cleaning and polishing.   

288

General Discussion / Re: My Unique Train Item

« on: August 27, 2021, 05:34:57 PM »

Here's a unique train car:

 

American Flyer postwar beer car. I was unable to find this in any of the price guides. Must be really unique. Did you know Scheafer was the offical beer of the New York Dodgers in the mid 1950s? This car might have even belonged to Jackie Robinson!

289

General Discussion / Re: Interesting Auction Items

« on: August 22, 2021, 05:03:57 PM »

Here's an auction that I had to look at closely.

 

The roofs are soldeired onto the cars under the paint and no lettering worries me. Plus I have a nice set.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165030684751

290

General Discussion / 2021 TCA Convention Review

« on: August 22, 2021, 01:35:33 PM »

I got back from the convention last night. I went over Thursday, and then left Friday afternoon.

Attendance was sparse. The regular monthly LA meets I went to before the pandemic were larger in terms of tables and shoppers. The hall opened for sellers a 7AM on Friday. Usually there is a line of people at the doors.

Nope. I just walked right in and until about 7:30 there were only a few people setting up. They let the buyers in at 8:30 instead of 9, and there was no rush or crowd.

The Trains: This show brought collectors in from the surrounding states so there was a much higher quality of trains than the regular LA meets.  Lots of nice standard gauge and prewar. 25 years ago people would have been fighting over the trains, but now they just sit there.

I did two tables of nice stuff, and sold almost nothing. The Flyer standard gauge sets just sat. There were 4 blue litho Pres. Specials, and 3 brown ones.

I bought this little trolley because I am still collecting:

 

Getting it was worth the whole show.

The Social Activities: The restaurants and bars were either closed or set up with distancing and mask requirements so there were no groups of collectors to hang out with. In the '80s and '90s the hotel bars were fun places to hang out in, but as the collectors got older bedtimes come earlier.

I don't do the TCA tours and such. The week before the convention I called and begged invitations to see collections. Because I only had one night to go visiting, I only saw one collection. A wonderful Chicago Flyer collection. I spent  3 hours there and could have easily spent 8 more and not seen everything.

I had fun. I got something neat for the collection, and got rid of some of my duplicates. I got to hang out with other collectors, and see some wonderful trains.

PS I had money in my pocket on my way out so I bought these:

 

I have that 42 with a Lionel Lines stamp on the end, so it's a variation, and it was cheap. The blue on the trolley has been painted over. I looked at it outside in the sunlight and thought maybe I can get the overpaint off. Now that I have it home, I doubt it. It was cheap enough that I can sell it to a restorer for what I paid.

291

General Discussion / Quick Forum Update

« on: August 17, 2021, 08:57:12 PM »

On  August 13th the board automatically updated itself to a new version. (Insert screaming and cursing here.) This caused the picture modifications to fail. I was able to get one mod that allows you to insert pictures into areas of the post to work again, but the slideshow viewer is not compatible.

I haven't had the time to look into replacements. Until I can figure this out continue to upload pictures as you have been doing. Whatever solutions I install will be backward compatible so we don't loose any of the prior images.

292

Collector Corner / Lionel New Haven F3 set 2507W from 1958

« on: August 17, 2021, 08:42:28 PM »

Here's an interesting Super O set from 1958. Lionel 2507W set with single motor 2242P New Haven F3 and matching 2242C b-unit and five cars.

Here's the set with the com  ponent boxes:

Some close ups of the locos:

 

 

 

There should be a billboard sheet with the set, but I didn't get it. I bought this from the original owner. It was a woman. Her dad got it for her when she was 2, but she wasn't allowed to play with it much. She also had a 628 44-tonner set that she was allowed to play with. The 628 set was not this clean.

Here's the cars -- 3444 animated gondola, 6464-425 New Haven boxcar, 6424 flatcar with autos, 6468 New Haven double door boxcar, and 6357 caboose.

 

 

 

Everytime the car boxes are handled the flaps get a little worse. They're all there, but they fall off easily. This is really common with train boxes that have spent decades in Arizona. I think it's air conditioners pulling all the moisture out of the air leaving the boxes dry and fragile.


Here's the set box, component boxes, and small bits:

 

 

 

 

And it comes with a circle of Super O track.

 

This is a neat set that cost $65 new.

293

Collector Corner / Re: 1941 Sears 8125 Set 229 0-2689TS plus 2800 cars

« on: August 17, 2021, 02:09:08 PM »

I got another 2666TS tender a few weeks ago. This new one came with a 1664 with the number RS in the recess for the plates and some 2800 series cars with nickel plates. 2812 in green, 3859, and 2817 red. I didn't realize what this was until I was sorting on Sunday and saw the tender.

Anyway, I just noticed this tender does not have an oval air hole for the whistle:

 

That's with a postwar 6466WX. So I went downsatirs and grabbed mine.  None of my plastic prewar tenders have the air hole:

 

Looking at the bottoms I have a 2666T, a 1666TS, and a the new 2666TS.

 

None of these had whistles in them.  Do any of the prewar plastic tenders have whistle holes? I think all the postwar ones do.

294

Collector Corner / Re: Lionel 726 Berkshire Variations 1946-50

« on: August 15, 2021, 06:37:53 PM »

I was packing the 1950 736 Berkshire up and took these quick photos:

 

 

The loco box is dated 1950 and tender box is 2671X. The X means it has Lionel Lines lettering rather than the Pennsylvania lettering of the turbine tender.

 

In 1950, the 2671WX tender came with two types of lettering. The first type was short and thin which is much harder to find, and then later the tall fat letters were used.

Here's the two types of tender lettering:

 

 

In 1951, the 12-wheel tender was dropped and the cheaper 8-wheel 2046W was used. Here's a photo of the 2046W and the two versions of the 2671WX:

 

295

Collector Corner / Lionel 726 Berkshire Variations 1946-49

« on: August 15, 2021, 01:22:38 PM »

Before I built the layout I put aside a nice 1950 736 Berkshire to run, but when I saw it on the  layout I decided I wanted a 1946 726 loco instead. The '46 berkshire has a cleaner boiler with stantions, an open area for the ecentric crank,  and no protruding e-unit lever.

Here's a 1946 berkshire (Top) with a later version:

 

The 1946 (right) also has a different frame and motor.:

 

Since I wanted one, I've been putting all the 726 locos I get aside with the idea I'd make up a nice one for the layout and sell the others.  The other night I sat down to look them over and found a weird one.

Here's four 726 locos in order with earliest at left:

 

The one on the far right has a simulated coupler on the pilot, but is otherwise the same as the one next to it so it's removed from the following photos.

Did you see the weird one? Here's another view:

 

Here's a bottom view of the the two '46 berks:

 

Might just be a later frame and motor in a 1946 shell? 

Compare the handrails:

 

Here's the earlier photo of the tops so you can  compare the handrails on three locos.

 

The odd one has cotter pins holding the handrails, but no raised collars like the later berk.

I think the parts are interchangable so this could be a construction by a former owner or repair shop. I'd rather have the better stantions, but it's pretty much what I was going to build for my self.

My work desk is a mess since I'm putting up more shelves in that room.  Later, I'll open these up and see what's inside.

296

Collector Corner / American Flyer Wide Gauge Pochontas Set 1928-32

« on: August 14, 2021, 01:02:35 AM »

This si a neat set. It has a bell and a rod that makes the bell move as the larger bell inside rings! You can see a close up of the bell moving in the video.

This set has a 4637 Shasta Locomotive with matching 4340 Club (combine), 4341 Pullman, 4343 Dining Car, and 4342 Observation. The color scheme is Rookie Tan and Green.

Some photos of the set:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Setbox Label:

 

This set was shipped to Knotts Berry Farm in the 1950s as can be seen by the writing on the top of the box:

 

Car boxes are labeled on an end and on top, loco only on top:

 

 

297

General Discussion / Re: any story's with real trains

« on: August 11, 2021, 11:40:01 AM »

In the mid 1980s, I was in PA for my grandad's funeral. A few of us took the train to NYC from Trenton. There were dozens of GG1s and S2 - (Like the 402 or IVES locos) on sidings just before the tracks dropped down to go under the river.

In the 80s I worked on the roofs of high rise buildings that allowed you to look down on the yard like a train layout. 15 years ago they were still using an SW switcher like a Lionel 622.

298

General Discussion / Re: Recent Additions

« on: August 11, 2021, 12:27:59 AM »

I bought a hoard of tinplate a few weeks ago. This 153 with wire handrails was included. I had the 153 in dark olive with wire handrails, but no other wire handrail locos. So this is an addition to the collection.

 

In the same tub was this interesting windmill. No markings on it. Not part of a steam engine set because the fan is attached with a screw, not on a shaft. Probably just a cheap German Chirstmas Village toy from the late teens or 1920s. I'm sure I can find some place on the layout for it.

299

Collector Corner / Re: Lionel Outfit 348E 1926-28

« on: August 09, 2021, 11:17:10 AM »

I like these bigger cars too. I have a 4 car Mohave 402 set with 6-wheel truck 418/419/431/490 cars tahyt you can see on the layout against the wall, and a 5 car 402 set with 10 series trucks.

I sold the orange 428 cars and the pea green 418 cars when I thinned out the collection. The orange cars had repainted roofs, and the green cars had IVES decals. If I found either set in the wilds and got a good deal on it I'd keep it. That's where the dark green 9 set came from.

I think both of the dark green sets deserve a place on the layout. They satisfy my need to have variations.

300

Collector Corner / Lionel Outfit 348E 1926-28

« on: August 07, 2021, 10:30:18 PM »

Lionel standard gauge outfit 348E was made from 1926 through 1928. The same outfit without the electric reverse was sold in 1926 and'27. The set contains a 380 or 380E loco and 428 Pullman 429 Combine, and 430 Observation. The cars in this set have maroon windows. 

These 428,429,and 430 cars are heavy and the so the loco has two large cast iron weights in it. I had a photo, but cannot find it now.

In 1929, Lionel replaced the loco with the 9 and changed the car windows to orange from the maroon seen above. There were other changes in the set too. For a comparison of this set with the 1929 9 set see:

1929 Lionel Standard Gauge Outfit 349